Earlier in the day, Magnolia sent Rebe an email, telling her she wanted to come by and see her. She knew she’d needed to wait a while, considering what happened with the rape, but the stress of wondering if Randall beat her to the punch was too heavy to carry any longer. And so, they agreed. It would be the next Saturday afternoon at two o’clock. Just the two of them, no Darla, spending girlfriend time together.

Rebe seemed excited.

Magnolia seemed finally ready.

It was just after five o’clock and Magnolia was at work, telling herself if she was really a good employee, she’d stay a while longer to finish up the branch operations file she was working on. She’d sometimes head straight to Miller’s house after work, or go straight home and talk to him on the phone. Every now and then she’d head to her grandmother’s house and they’d have their own girl talk. Tonight would be a night to head home and chill, alone. But first, another hour or so of work.

Just as Magnolia clicked on her computer and focused on the spreadsheet, her office phone rang.

She grabbed the receiver from its base by touch, eyes focused on the document. “Hello.”

“It’s me.”

“What?” Her face frowned but inside she smiled.

“I’m fine, thanks.” Neal’s sarcasm was accompanied by a brief laugh. “I left something in your car.”

“Excuse me.” She turned her chair from her computer to the view outside the window. “How’d you get in my car?”

“I still have a key and remote.”

“Neal.”

“Go to your car and get it.”

“No. And what you need to do is get me those keys. You can even send them in an interoffice envelope.”

“So you didn’t know I still had them?” He sounded disbelieving.

“No. I didn’t. And don’t use them again.”

“Okay. But when I opened the door and the smell from your car hit my nose, I’m telling you, that kind of bubble gum, vanilla, smell you always have hanging from that scented tree in your ride. And then I could smell your gardenia perfume, too. Mag, it made me wanna stick my dick in the vent.” He gave another laugh.

She rubbed her temple and shook her head. “Neal. You are sick. Good-bye.”

She hung up and just sat in amazement, flashing a very brief smile. She had to admit that curiosity had a grip on her mind. Magnolia fiddled with her orange enamel bangles and gave a “what the hell” look. She then shut down the computer and headed out.

When she got to her car, she had a single rose on her seat, with a note that read, Tonight at six-thirty. Our spot. El Rancho Grande. Be there, please. Don’t say no.

Magnolia just sat in the driver seat and looked at the note, examining his writing, his distinctive way of printing every letter in all caps, at an angle, with the lazy way he’d fail to lift the pen, causing scribbled-looking words. Just one of the many things she noticed about Neal. She touched the dark red rose with her fingertips and started up her car, holding the rose as she backed up. She then pressed speed dial on her cell and put the call on speaker.

She asked her boyfriend on his cell, “Baby, where are you?

“Hey love. At home. Rudy’s coming by in a minute with the kids. Can you stop by?”

“No. I don’t think so. I’m bringing work home with me so I’ll head straight to the house and get this done. Tell your son and the kids I said hello. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay. Don’t work too hard. Call you later. Love you.”

“Love you, too, Miller.”

It was seven-ten.

The weather was in the sixties.

Nighttime dark had not set in just yet.

The entire drive the short distance seemed not right.

She remembered the sermon by her pastor.

That God will give you a retest.

She knew exactly what it was.

And being where she was, was wrong.

But in a way it was important.

And besides, wrong had been knocking at Magnolia’s door for a minute.

Even though she knew better, she just wasn’t quite ready to shut it all the way. Not just yet.

The busy Mexican restaurant, the place where Magnolia and Neal first met, was busy with the after-work dinner crowd, as usual. The wait for a table was forty-five minutes.

Neal, dressed casual with a blue and white Yankees cap, checked Magnolia out up and down, like his eyes were deceiving him. He looked at her dark hair as it flowed straight behind her back, loose. “Why’s your hair down?”

They sat at the oblong bar. Magnolia didn’t want to wait for a table. There were two barstools to the left of her that were free, but all the rest were taken. They both sipped on the strong, ginger margaritas the restaurant was known for. Neal was already on his second.

She looked at his face, admiring his features, thick lashes, and white teeth. She always loved him in a fitted cap, but didn’t let on. “I just wanted to wear it down. No biggie.” Magnolia dipped a salty tortilla chip in the mild salsa and ate it.

Neal eased his eyes toward her hips as her backside spanned the width of the barstool. “Tight jeans?”

Her words were nonenergetic. She still chewed and said, “I went home and changed.”

“Nice. You’re looking really nice.” He nodded.

“Thanks.”

“Thanks for coming. I’m glad we’re face to face.”

“Yep. No one around like when we’re at work and you’re bugging me. No one at my house calling on my phone, cursing me out while you’re there. And no one at your house, hiding in your bedroom like a sneaky little porno kitten.”

He managed a smile as though amused. “That’s true. Again, I apologize for that. No worries.”

“You should be sorry. That was like a damn sneak attack, Neal. You cared more about that woman setting me up than how I’d feel. Really, how selfish was that?”

He raised his hand in surrender. “That was a mistake.”

She picked up her margarita glass. Her heart spoke. “It’ll never happen again because I won’t let you do that to me again. I won’t let you hurt me again, period.” Magnolia licked the salt around the rim of the glass and gave a sip.

“You won’t have to worry about that.”

“Oh, okay. Just as long as you’re sure she’s not gonna pull up soon and come in here trying to jump me.”

“No. Not gonna happen.” He sipped his drink with a look like he was willing to submit to anything, just happy to have her to himself for a minute.

Magnolia said, “So, I see you’ve been trying to walk the straight and narrow for a minute. Been pretty quiet. Congratulations.”

“Please, it hasn’t been easy. You’ve been on my mind the whole time. You told me not to bring drama into your life and I heard you. But I just couldn’t take it anymore. I just needed to see you, other than passing each other at work.”

Magnolia looked away from him, and to her left, up at the basketball game on the ESPN channel overhead. She asked, “You two still getting busy on GFF?”

“We’re on there. But we don’t do anything.”

“So, you stopped because you’re happy now?”

“I’m not really seeing her like that.”

Even looking away, her eyes called him a liar. “Yeah, right. Not really? I don’t know why not. You wanted someone dirty, and you got filthy.”

“Maybe, but I would’ve preferred you.”

Magnolia saw a Hispanic man looking straight at her. He smiled. She smiled. She looked to her right at Neal. “Yeah, anyway, you were the one complaining all the time that I wasn’t this enough or that enough. That I wasn’t open-minded enough. But it’s funny, you never had a problem busting a nut.”

Neal spoke energetically, “Don’t get it wrong. The sex was good. Real good. I just wanted to explore more.”

Magnolia took another sip and thought, looking to the TV screen again. “I see. Then maybe you should’ve been patient. You should have taught me and worked with me and talked to me and loved me through it.” She turned to Neal, who also looked up at the TV. “You said I was the woman you wanted to marry.” He then looked at her. “We picked out a ring together one day, and the next day, Keyonna was forwarding me the text messages you sent her. Funny, they say text messages are the new lipstick on the collar. The new evidence. You should’ve been more careful.” She looked annoyed. “And then, to top it off, Neal, I had to look at her at work. I wanted to kick both of your dumb asses.”

“We weren’t even doing anything at that point.”

“Yes, you were. You need to stop lying. I believe there was a text from you that read, ‘I can’t wait to watch you come on my dick again.’ ” She shook her head. “Why do you always deny? You know I saw the message. Damn.” Magnolia now spoke with impatience and began to frown.

“Okay.”

“No need for any more bullshit. You’ve got the freak. Mission accomplished.”

“I’d leave her for you right now.”

Magnolia darted her head back and eyed him down. “I thought you said you weren’t really seeing her like that.” She looked down at her glass, placing her fingers on the stem. “Neal, please. If you don’t want Keyonna, you should leave her for yourself. Not for someone else. Besides, if she hadn’t sent me those messages, you would’ve continued to make me look like a fool.” She swallowed the last sip of her drink. “I guess I should be thanking her.”

“I’m not done with you.”

“Well, I am done with you.”

He looked confused. “Mag, so you agreed to meet me here to tell me that? Uh-huh. Now I get it. You must be seeing someone.”

“None of your business.”

Neal took her chin into his hand and angled her face to his. “Magnolia. I’m sorry.”

“You said that already before.”

“I know, you always hurt the one you love. That’s because they care so much. I blew the trust. I want you to forgive me.” He looked serious.

“Neal, all I want is a monogamous man, and you’re not it.” She moved his hand and looked away.

“I can be.”

“You’ve already proven you aren’t. Not with me. And not with her, since you’re here tonight.” Magnolia thought that her own words could apply to herself, just for the fact that she was there as well, after lying to Miller. And that Neal’s sentence about hurting the one you love reminded her of her guilt about betraying Rebe. But at the moment, her unresolved feelings of Neal abandoning her were first and foremost. She couldn’t shake it. She knew she needed to take control. But her head and her heart were at odds.

“I’m telling you, she and I are…”

Magnolia interrupted, putting up her index finger. “Spare me, Neal.”

He looked behind him as a couple of young women walked by.

“See, that’s another thing. A woman’s always gotta deal with your reckless eyeballing.” She clicked her tongue. “Whatever.”

He turned back around in a split second and simply went to another subject like he never even heard her. “Why did you get off of GFF?”

She looked surprised. “I didn’t need it anymore.”

“So you are seeing someone.”

“Neal.” Suddenly, Magnolia again looked to her left, and the Hispanic man sitting three barstools down who’d smiled slid a folded napkin over toward her and then turned his back, looking back up at the TV screen.

Neal asked immediately from behind her, “What the hell did he just do?”

Magnolia said, “Nothing.” She took the napkin and moved it closer to her.

Neal stood up. “What’d he just do? What is that?” He pointed to the napkin. “Did he just pass you that?” He took it from Magnolia and opened it. It read, Jose, 305-874-5564.

Magnolia told Neal, “It’s just a napkin.”

Neal balled it up and spoke fast, walking behind Magnolia, standing to her left. “Man, she’s with me, okay? What’s your fuckin’ problem anyway?” His voice was fully loaded. He tossed the napkin onto the bar.

“Oh man, I’m sorry. No problem. I, I, I…” The man stuttered and blinked fast.

“Dude. Your ass is trying to be slick. You slid that shit across the bar so I wouldn’t see. Well I did see it. You were raggedy with it. We need to take this shit outside, muthafucka.”

Magnolia leaned over closer to Neal, reaching for his bicep. “No, Neal. No.”

He snatched his arm farther away and stepped closer to the guy.

The guy said, “Look, I’m sorry man. She looked over at me and I thought she smiled and I thought, maybe she was your friend, sister, I don’t know. Obviously I was wrong. I didn’t know what she was to you, but whatever. I’m sorry, man.”

By now, Magnolia noticed all eyes on Neal. She gave a long breath and braced herself.

“Dude, if you thought she was just my friend you should’ve been man enough to ask me, instead of sneaking a damn note to her. But I don’t buy that shit. I think you knew good and damn well what you were doing.”

The bartender spoke as he stood on the other side of the bar, across from them. “Sir. You wanna keep it down.” He looked dead serious.

Neal told him, “No, I don’t.” He pointed to the guy, speaking to the bartender. “You need to kick his ass out.”

The guy continued, “Man, I’m telling you, with all due respect I’m sorry.” The guy readjusted his expression. “Listen, let me buy you two a couple of drinks to apologize, and anything else you guys want is on me.” He glanced behind Neal, at Magnolia. “And you lady. I’m sorry.”

Magnolia frowned, staring him down.

Neal nodded, still frowning, too, but telling him, “Okay then, that’s what I’m saying. You need to watch your ass.” He took one step away. His tone downshifted. “A brotha can get shot over some shit like that.” Neal headed back to his seat.

The guy said to the bartender, “Alonzo, man, whatever they want.”

The bartender stepped to Magnolia and Neal, taking away both empty glasses, still looking concerned, “What can I get you?”

Neal asked Magnolia, “What do you want, Mag?”

Magnolia cut her eyes at him. “Nothing.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

He said to the bartender, “I’ll have a Hennessy. Make it a double.”

“Got it.”

Neal looked the guy’s way and then up at the TV screen. “Damn fool.”

Magnolia scooted her body to face him with her hand on her hip. “If he’s such a damn fool, then why are you willing to drink his liquor?”

“What?” Neal looked like he had to have been hearing things.

Magnolia asked with hot focus, “So you’re telling me that being protective over a woman can be bought with a drink? Hell, I’ll bet if I was Keyonna you wouldn’t have backed off like that.”

Neal looked amazed. “Oh, so what do you want me to do? You want me to kick his ass. You were just telling me to stop a minute ago, but now you’re saying you want me to get in a fight with the man. And possibly go to jail?”

She looked self-assured and impatient. “What I didn’t want was for any man I’m with to let an action like that be bought, exchanged for a glass of liquid. Is that what I’m worth to you? About eight to ten dollars? All this talk about us, and how you’re not done with me, and you basically took a drink in exchange for my virtue. You’d have been better off just telling him ‘fuck no. I don’t want shit from you.’ You should have told him what you wanted was some respect.”

Neal looked through. He dug in his pocket while he spoke. “Oh hell no. Fuck it.” He spoke to the bartender. “You know what, Alonzo, forget it man. I’m cool.”

“You sure?” the bartender asked while holding the glass of cognac, prepared to set it down.

“Yeah, I’m good, dude.” He said to Magnolia, “Good-bye. And here’s my money for the bill.” He slammed a fifty down on the bar and turned to walk away.

Magnolia said ultra-loud, as if she was way past insulted, “Where are you going?”

Neal was just as loud. “You haven’t changed. You’re still a trip.”

“Oh, and you aren’t? Don’t you walk away from me. And hey, I still need my car keys from you.”

He waved his hand back at her. “Good-bye.”

“Dammit. Neal come back.” Her voice shrilled.

Magnolia stood from the bar and ran after him. And just like old times, Magnolia and Neal were in the parking lot arguing. With vigor and with volume and with passion. Proving she hadn’t learned to love him less and herself more. Or so it seemed.

One hour later, Magnolia and Neal were at his place, fucking like triple-X stars on a mission to win an AVN porn award. Only this time, Magnolia was the director, and she called all the shots.

In the intimate dark, she demanded with the voice of an adult star lead. She straddled Neal’s face while he grabbed her round ass cheeks with each hand. She held on to the slats of the walnut headboard, looking down at him. Her voice was scolding. “Look at me. See. Got my hairy pussy on your mouth, fucking your face like you’d always asked me to, but I wouldn’t. So this is what you wanted all that time, huh? You wanted me to come in your mouth while you lie on your back and suck the sweet cum out of my pussy like this. Oh yeah, dammit. This mess feels so good, the way you pull on my clit like it’s a damn sucker.” She looked up. Her mental zone was on high. Beneath her turn-on, she remembered her experience at the swinger’s club, and decided it was time to mimic the ride. “Yes. Neal. Shit. Umh, dammit.” Her forehead sweaty, she tossed her hair back and grunted like she was either in the middle of a good come, or fighting one off. She then told him, still sounding mad, crawling off his face as she fussed, “Gimme a damn condom. I saw you fucking that whore without a condom. You made me stand there and watch you stick your naked dick inside of that bitch. Put that shit on. Now.”

Neal looked extra turned on and hustled to reach over to the nightstand for the clear package. She snatched it from him, bit it with her teeth and ripped it open, yanking out the red Nigerian condom and securing it fast.

She scooted down and straddled his pubic area, reaching back to insert his straight-up, mushroom-tipped dick into her wet and ready vagina. She moved in a circle until it eased all the way in, and then rocked from side to side, working it. “Ooooo, I hate you, shit. Ummmmmm.” She roared with eyes half closed, words half true, heart totally confused.

He started to follow her lead and pump back. “Oh yeah.”

Her voice pointed in his face. “No. Don’t move. Shit. And shut up.”

He stopped.

“You just lay there, and don’t say a damn thing. Be still just like when you’d complain I’d just lay there like, how did you say it, like a dead fish? Now you let me work it and see how long you can take this pussy fucking you.” The sound of her bangle bracelets clinking matched her sex motions. Her juices were sloshing.

He licked his lips like LL Cool J, looking down at the sight of his dick swallowed by her hunger. “Damn, this pussy is tight. I forgot how tight this pussy is. Fuck it feels good. Wear it out. That’s the way daddy likes it. Look at you riding that dick like you had lessons. What the hell?”

She bucked as she fucked and talked even more. “I told you to shut up. Yeah, look at me. Look at your ex-missionary woman, who you had the nerve to cheat on just so you could get a freak. There was a freak inside of me you never even took the time to get to know.” She kept working it with precision. “Uh-huh. You had this. You threw it away with your horny, greedy, freaky, pussy loving, lying, serial cheating, big dick having, fine ass, curly headed, pretty faced, white teeth having, nice car driving, Mexican food eating, CÎROC drinking, clit sucking expert mother fucking ass. You like to fantasize about me with your woman when you fuck her, huh? Then imagine her licking your balls right now while I ride this long dick. You feel that shit? Huh? You feel her breath against your ass right now? You feel her tongue? You feel her hair along your legs? She’s licking the shit outta you. I can hear her slurping while I’m bouncing. Yeah, you’ve got it all right there in your head, imagining all that. Your old freak and your new freak, freaking. Now come for us right now. Come right fucking now, dammit.”

Neal’s eyes were closed, and then he looked up at her doing her energetic dick ride and made an inaudible sound. “Uuuggghnhh.”

“That’s it. That’s it. That’s the sound you would make when you’d cream all inside this tight pussy when you had me all to yourself. But, since you wanted a freak, you got a freak. It just ain’t me. Dammit. Fuck you.” And Magnolia crawled off. “Punk ass.”

Neal lay on his back, watching her get up, coming down from the depths of his expulsion, and also looking like she’d completely lost it. “Baby, wait. Baby. Mag.”

“No. See, I don’t want your woman to show up and catch me here and then I’ll have to beat her crazy ass.”

“No, wait. Please.” He sat up, holding on to his condom-covered dick. His cell rang along the nightstand. He looked at the nightstand and then down at the floor and grabbed his pants, which he’d tossed in the throes of their feverish passion play.

Magnolia walked to his phone and read the display. “Awwww, your Keyonna’s looking for you. Maybe I should answer it for you.” Her face said, Dare me.

“No.” He carefully pulled off the full condom and placed it in the trash can next to his dresser, keeping an eye on Magnolia.

Her hand was one inch away. “You sure you don’t want me to?”

“I’m sure.” He stepped into his pants fast.

“Oh, so you do care about her. Good.” She leaned toward him. “Then don’t you ever fucking call me or bother me again. Otherwise, I’m telling her about tonight. I’ll show her your note about meeting you tonight, and tell her the exact time she called.” His phone rang again. Same caller. “I’ll be the one showing evidence this time. Try me.”

“Mag.”

She stepped to her pile of clothes and bent down. “Neal. Leave me the hell alone. It’s time for me to get back to my life. Without you.” Magnolia snatched her jeans and squeezed into them, then her blouse, buttoning it fast, and then grabbing her shoes and purse. She faced the bedroom door and walked as Neal had on only his pants, following her.

“Don’t go yet. Wait.”

She kept walking down the slick white stairs and he was right behind her.

“Mag, wait a minute.” His words had warning and authority.

She jerked her body back toward him just after taking the last step. “What?”

He said, with a calm voice but his face looked alarmed, “You’re bleeding.” He pointed down near the back of her thighs. “A lot.”

She looked down between her legs at the vivid red blood that had soaked her jeans just that fast. “Dammit.”

He stood behind her. “Baby. It’s just your period coming down. All that bed movement brought it on.”

Magnolia looked as though she doubted it, intense fear in her eyes.

“Here, let me take you to the doctor. Let me finish getting dressed.”

Magnolia’s cell rang. A call from Miller. And before Neal could get back up the stairs to his room, Magnolia was gone.

A trail of blood led from his living room to his hallway, and beyond.

Evidence of Magnolia Butler’s continued sins.